New Surigao del Sur bishop named

BUTUAN – Pope Francis has named a priest from Cagayan de Oro as the new bishop of the diocese of Tandag  in Surigao del Sur.

The Vatican News announced the appointment of Raul Dael on Monday, saying the pope accepted the resignation of Nereo Odchimar, who reached the mandatory age of retirement.

Odchimar served the diocese for almost 17 years and was a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

The archdiocese of Tandag has 19 parishes and is among the biggest in Mindanao.